Page 30 of A Very Daddy Christmas

“The Levine sisters just secured their hold on this building after he unceremoniously pulled the rug out from under their feet, three months before Christmas,” I retort. “He’s got his heart set on selling the building to somebody else—”

“George Hamilton,” Cora cuts in. “Maybe they were his people.”

Foreman shakes his head. “I find it hard to believe. We’ve never had such issues with Mr. Hamilton, either. These are God-fearing men we’re talking about. No criminal record, no ties to any shady folks in the district. It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Sheriff, with all due respect, setting aside what you think you know about these folks, the Levine sisters were clearly victims of a terrible crime here,” Riggs says, muted anger dripping from his voice. “Perhaps you should listen to what they’re telling you and investigate accordingly, without bias.”

Foreman, however, considers it condescension and immediately gets prickly. “I’d appreciate it if you refrained from telling me how to do my job, Mr. Marley. You three may have served our great country, and we’re all thankful for that, but this is my district. I know how to run it.”

“Two men just walked in and trashed a neighborhood staple,” Sebastian chimes in, his tone clipped. “I’m not sure you’re running it as smoothly as you think you are. And from what I’m hearing, Denaro has been making significant headway across Madison.”

“Denaro?” Cora asks, understandably confused.

“A notorious mobster,” Sebastian explains. “A transplant from Chicago. Came in about five years ago and opened a slew of fronts for his illegal operations.”

“That’s nothing more than hearsay. We investigated. We couldn’t find anything,” Foreman says, putting his pad away and crossing his arms in a petulant fashion. “I resent your implication.”

“You couldn’t find anything because every real estate transaction he made was brokered by Mr. St. James’ companies,” Sebastianinsists.

And there it is. The missing piece. We’ve had our suspicions for a while, and even if what happened today can only be considered circumstantial, I’m growing increasingly confident that those two goons we chased out may have been sent by Denaro—a knee jerk reaction from Orson upon noticing that money sitting in escrow.

We may have unknowingly triggered something terrible here, which is why we’re determined to cover the costs of repairing everything that was broken today. We owe the women that much.

Cora looks around, her gaze revealing her broken heart. “I never imagined it would come to this. This is our family’s legacy.”

“I’m sure the sheriff will do his due diligence and investigate accordingly,” Sebastian says, giving Foreman a warning glance. “Whoever those two were, they need to be brought to justice.”

“I wholeheartedly agree,” Foreman replies. His deputy rejoins him, while Eva stands beside Cora, placing an arm around her shoulders. “I think we have everything we need for the time being.”

“We’ll probably have some follow-up questions once we check the camera footage,” the deputy says to the ladies as he holds up a USB stick.

“What about protection?” Eva asks. “Surely they’ll be back. This was only the beginning.”

I wish she were wrong, but I know better. Itwasjust the beginning. We could handle the situation ourselves, but risking an all-out war with a former Chicago mob boss isn’t a wise thingto do, especially since we don’t know where the fucker likes to hang out. He’s always moving. Always one step ahead of the authorities. And clearly with his hands deep in the pockets of some of Madison’s most influential people.

“I’ll send a deputy over to keep an eye on the place for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours, but if nothing else happens, all I can do is advise you to call 911 at the first sign of trouble,” Foreman says, preparing to leave.

His deputy goes out first while Eva looks understandably irritated. “That’s it?”

“It’s all we can do right now,” the sheriff replies.

“We’ll get a panic button fitted under the counter,” Riggs says. “It’s common practice these days anyway. Perhaps not in this community, but it appears it’s come to that now.”

The sheriff takes slight offense but chooses to respond with only a stern frown before he steps out. “I’ll be in touch, ladies. Take care of yourselves and stay cautious.”

The five of us wait until he’s out the door.

Anger rises within me, and I can feel it emanating from the Levine sisters like heat off a radiator. Anger and fear. They’re intertwined, and they’re often the cause of unwise decisions.

Cora gives Eva a worried glance. “Should we withdraw the escrow offer?”

“No,” the four of us answer at once.

“Hell no,” Eva reiterates. “We worked our asses off to get here. We’ll figure it out. There’s only so much those assholes can do, now that the police have been alerted.”

I can tell she’s terrified, though. For all her stoicism, Eva knows the worst is yet to come. We’ll stick around and help them secure the bakery. Riggs is already on the phone with our security company, talking about panic buttons and a new alarm system. Cora is trying to wrap her head around all this, but she will need time.

I’m not letting her handle this on her own.

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